Aurora man charged with firing guns during New Year’s Eve party

A man is facing felony charges after police investigating gunshots during New Year’s Eve celebrations found him with guns and cocaine in west suburban Aurora.

Officers on the lookout for revelers firing guns to ring in the new year heard multiple shots about midnight near Superior and Ohio streets, according to a statement from Aurora police. They narrowed down the location to a home in the 1000 block of Superior.

They walked to the backyard of the home, where they saw 33-year-old Benny Ochoa holding a revolver standing in a group of people, police said. Police ordered everyone in the group to show their hands, and they all complied.

Benny Ochoa | Aurora police

The officers searched Ochoa and found two .40-caliber semi-automatic pistols in his waistband “that had already been emptied,” police said. They also found a bag of cocaine in one of his pockets. The drugs and all three guns were seized.

The five other people in the yard were unarmed, police said. Ochoa had apparently fired more than 40 rounds before police arrived.

Ochoa, who lives in Aurora, was arrested and charged with one felony count each of reckless discharge of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance, police said.